The 7 founders from NewME Acceleratorâs Â Spring 2012 class recently finished up another exciting and successful cycle and the applications for Fall have been rolling in! With the June 15 deadline approaching us, some of the founders wanted to share their experiences in getting into the NewME program where they had to stand out among hundreds of other startups and founders.

pictureMENU is a startup Christopher Lyons came up with his while waiting tables in grad school that allows restaurants to create “smart menus” accessible via tablets and mobile devices. He applied to NewME because he had his own business and was looking for an outlet to take it to the next level.

Lyons says the fact he had a unique product is what caught the application reviewers attention.

“I had a unique product with great user design and had a simple, focused approach that I could articulate,” Lyons says. “I made it easy for the application reviewers to be able to understand my product vision.”

Beyond the product speaking for itself, Lyons wanted to show his personality in his application.

“I wasn’t just writing an essay, Lyons says”. I put myself into it, I wanted them to see who I was as a person beyond the business.”

Lyons furthermore explains that quality was one of the most important factors in completing his application.

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